| From: D. Long | 9/16/2007 4:01:15 PM | | | | | | What a difference an election makes for the French. Looks like the Germans are playing the sanctions - avoid UN sanctions while encouraging "unilateral" sanctions against Iran.
BBC
Last Updated: Sunday, 16 September 2007, 19:29 GMT 20:29 UK
France warning of war with Iran
Mr Kouchner has sounded the alarm over Iran's nuclear programme
French foreign minister Bernard Kouchner says the world should prepare for war over Iran's nuclear programme.
"We have to prepare for the worst, and the worst is war," Mr Kouchner said in an interview on French TV and radio.
Mr Kouchner said negotiations with Iran should continue "right to the end", but an Iranian nuclear weapon would pose "a real danger for the whole world".
Iran has consistently denied it is trying to acquire nuclear weapons but intends to carry on enriching uranium.
Mr Kouchner also said a number of large French companies had been asked not to tender for business in Iran.
EU sanctions
Bushehr nuclear reactor
Iran says its nuclear programme is peaceful
"We are not banning French companies from submitting. We have advised them not to. These are private companies."
"But I think that it has been heard and we are not the only ones to have done this."
He said France wanted the European Union to prepare sanctions against Iran.
"We have decided that while negotiations are continuing to prepare eventual sanctions outside the ambit of UN sanctions. Our good friends, the Germans, suggested that," he said.
Until now the Security Council of the United Nations has imposed economic sanctions on Iran, but did not allow for military action.
The United States has not ruled out a military attack against Iran to prevent it from acquiring a nuclear weapon. |
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| To: KLP who wrote (219926) | 9/16/2007 4:05:21 PM | | From: Geoff Altman | | | | Steve Harris gave me a link to the unabridged version. I can't imagine what America would be like without all of these organizations,,,,,but I'm willing to give it a try...<g>:
answer.pephost.org
September 24
Call to United Mass Action
Partial Endorsers List
As of Monday, June 27, over 4,500 endorsers have signed on to the September 24 Call for United Mass Action. Below is a partial list of endorsers. Please check back for frequent updates.
Endorse today! (Endorsements from individuals and organizations are welcome. Listing on the website is optional.)
A.N.S.W.E.R. Steering Committee
- IFCO/Pastors for Peace
- Free Palestine Alliance - U.S.
- Haiti Support Network
- Partnership for Civil Justice - LDEF
- Nicaragua Network
- Alliance for Just and Lasting Peace in the Philippines
- Korea Truth Commission
- Muslim Student Association - National
- Kensington Welfare Rights Union
- Mexico Solidarity Network
- Party for Socialism and Liberation
- Middle East Children's Alliance
- A.N.S.W.E.R. Youth & Student National Coalition
Endorsers
- Congresswoman Cynthia McKinney
- Muslim American Society Freedom Foundation
- Eric Mar, President, San Francisco School Board
- Ron Kovic, Author of Born on the Fourth of July, Vietnam Veteran
- ProLibertad/Freedom Campaign
- National Lawyers Guild
- Philippine Peasant Support Network
- Office of the Americas
- Haitian Lawyers Leadership Network
- Michael Berg, father of Nicholas Berg
- DC Healthcare Coalition
- Kabataang Maka Bayan (KmB) Pro-People Youth
- Students Against Empire
- Mexicanos Sin Fronteras
- National Committee to Free the Cuban Five
- American Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee, San Francisco Chapter
- Ecumenical Program on Central America and the Caribbean (EPICA)
- Frente Socialista de Puerto Rico (New York committee)
- Dorothy Day Catholic Worker - Washington DC
- Tri-Valley CAREs
- People’s Law Resource Center
- Malcolm X Grassroots Movement
- Popular Education Project to Free the Cuban Five
- Al-Awda Palestine Right of Return Coalition, S.F.
- Gay Liberation Network - Chicago, IL
- Palestine Aid Society
- 8th Day Center for Justice - Chicago, IL
- Harlem Tenants Council
- Asians for Jericho/Mumia
- Florida Palestine Solidarity Network
- New Jersey Solidarity - Activists for the Liberation of Palestine
- Queers for Racial & Economic Justice
- BAYAN USA
- Ross Mirkarimi, San Francisco Supervisor, District 5
- Chris Daly, San Francisco Board of Supervisors
- Filipino Workers Association (FWA)
- Puerto Rican Alliance of Los Angeles
- Robin Tyler, Gay Liberation Network
- Women Against Military Madness
- Student Coalition for a Just Peace
- Islamic Political Party of America
- International People's Democratic Uhuru
- Vanderbilt Progressive Student Union
- Riverside Area Peace and Justice Action
- San Francisco Bay View Newspaper
- Niagara Coalition for Peace (NC4P)
- Texans for Peace
- Peace Now - Las Vegas, NV
- Peace North - Hayward, WI
- Boston College Global Justice Project
- DC Poets Against the War
- Louisiana Activist Network
- Students for Peace & Change
- Anti-War Organizing League
- International Socialist Organization
- Caribbean & Latin America Support Project
- Bay Area United Against War
- College Voice, College of Staten Island, NY
- Johnson Anti-War Coalition, Johnson State College
- Muslim Student Association, California State University Long Beach
- New York Committee in Solidarity with the people of El Salvador
- South Bay Mobilization
- Africa Affinity
- Fairbanks Coalition for Peace and Justice
- Foundations Afrikan Millennium
- Queer Radio: Out FM
- North Alabama Peace Network
- Hudson Valley Activist Newsletter
- Action Center for Justice, Charlotte, NC
- Alabama PeaceFirst
- Blasé Bonpane, Director, Office of the Americas
- Theresa Bonpane, Executive Director, Office of the Americas
- Association of Humanitarian Lawyers
- Malcolm X Grassroots Movement, Oakland-Bay Area
- Arise for Social Justice
- El Dorado Peace and Justice
- Birmingham Peace Project
- Episcopalians for Exchange With Cuba
- Northeast Georgia Peace Corner Group
- Gray Panthers - Berkeley-East Bay
- North Texas for Justice and Peace
- Teens for Peace, Sioux Falls, SD
- Phil Berrigan Institute for Nonviolence
- Coalition for Peace and Justice
- Sexual Minorities Archives
- St. Pete for Peace
- Bolivarian Circle International The Cyber Circle
- Grandmothers for Peace International
- Northland Chapter Grandmothers for Peace, Superior, WI
- Mad. Area Raging Grannies, Madison, WI
- Code Pink - Missoula, MT
- Code Pink - Piedmont Triad
- Veterans for Peace - Taos, NW Chapter
- Berkeley-East Bay Gray Panthers
- Vanessa Dixon, DC Healthcare Coalition
- Carlos Villarreal, Executive Director, National Lawyers Guild San Francisco
- Zachary Wolfe, Chair, National Lawyers Guild Lesbian/Gay/Bi/Trans Committee*; Founder, People’s Law Resource Center
- Jack Igel, Peace Action*, Veterans for Peace*
- Jari Sheese, Military Families Speak Out (MFSO)*
- Al Leskys, Peace Now*, Las Vegas, NV
- Anne Feeney, Board Member, Thomas Merton Center*, Pittsburgh, PA
- Jack Robinson, Brown University Student Labor Alliance*
- Walter Lippmann, Editor-in-Chief, CubaNews, CubaNews List*
- Paul McCarthy, Amnesty International USA*
- Mary Lou, Member, Peace and Freedom Party*
- C. T. Weber, Peace and Freedom Party - California State*
- S.E. Anderson, National Reparations Congress*, Brooklyn, NY
- Tara Hui, Center for Asian American Advocacy* (CAA)
- Ann Rennacker, Secretary, Mendocino Coast Peace & Justice Center*, Fort Bragg, CA
- Deborah Coley, President, Crockett Area Peace & Justice Coalition*, Nacogdoches, TX
- Evalyn F. Segal, Unitarians for Justice in Middle East*
- Jane Oie, Fox Valley Peace Coalition*, Appleton, Wisconsin
- Ron Swallow, Dayton Peace Action*
- Hal Ethridge, U.S. Army Retired, Tucson, Arizona
- Ruben Trejo, Veteran Representative, Palmdale, California
- C.D. Blodgett, World War II Combat Veteran, Veterans for Peace*
- Marty Preston, Associate Member, Veterans for Peace*, Wisconsin Dells, WI
- Jason Guthridge, Persian Gulf Veteran, San Pedro, CA
- Lt. Russell E. Fleming, Ret. SPSI
- Allan Fisher, Political Director, American Federation of Teachers Local 21*, San Francisco, CA
- Bruce Allen, Vice-President, Canadian Autoworkers Local 199*
- Canterbury Hatten, Retired Lawyer, Cannery Workers, International Longshore and Warehouse Union (ILWU)*
- Robert Whitehead, Classroom Teacher and Union Representative, California Teachers Association (CTA)*, National Educators Association (NEA)*
- Suzanne Kincaid, California Nurses Association (CNA)*
- George Hepker, International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW) Local 441*
- Jean McMaken, American Federation of State County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME)*, Huxley, IA
- Elisabeth Fiekowsky, West Coast Organizer, National Organization Legal Service Workers*
- Eugene Craig, Steward, Service Employees International Union (SEIU)*
- Karen Martinez, Retiree, Communication Workers of America (CWA)*, Liverpool, NY
- Robin Aurandt, American Federation of State County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME) Local 906*, Williamsburg, PA
- Buddy Gill, Sheet Metal Workers Local 104*
- Thomas Waites, Actor, Screen Actors Guild*, New York, NY
- Gess Healey, American Federation of Teachers*, Taos, NE
- Tim Duda, American Federation of Teachers*, San Antonio, TX
- Christopher Lamb, International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers*, Bangor, ME
- Neil R. Friedman, Chapter Leader, United Federation of Teachers (UFT)*, Brooklyn, NY
- Doug Chancey, Screen Actors Guild*
- New Jersey Chapter of the National Writers Union
- Carole Cernuto, SEIU (Service Employees International Union) Local 99*, Canoga Park, CA
- Daniela Blaese, member, International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW)*
- Henry Millstein, National Writer's Union*, Novato, CA
- Richard Neva, Communist Party USA*
- Geoffrey Middleton, MSU Student Association for Feminist Thought*
- Dena Al Atassi, Florida Council Muslim Students Association*
- Dave Silver, Coalition to Free the Angola 3*
- Lynda Llamas, IFCO/Pastors for Peace*
- Michael Gordy, Membership co-chair, NEA Peace & Justice Caucus*
- Jamil Rahman, Islamic Political Party of America (IPPA)*
- Andre Belcher, National Black United Front (NBUF)*, NDABA - N'COBRA*
- Chris Drew, Executive Director, Uptown Multi-Cultural Art Center*, Chicago, IL
- Susan Keith, Georgia for Democracy*, Georgia Peace and Justice*
- Jean Mont-Eton, St. Gabriel Peace and Justice*
- Dante Pena, Hidalgo County Green Party*, McAllen, TX
- Ozlem Altiok, Peace Action Denton*, TX
- NJ Independent Alliance
- Radio Free Amerika
- Native Forest Council - Seattle Chapter
- Liberty Underground of Virginia (LUV)
- Socialist Party of Michigan
- Rastafarian African Improvement Association
- Sociologists Without Borders
- Catalysts for Change
- Citizens for a United Earth
- Northern California 9/11 Truth Alliance
- All Nations Inc.
- Card Carrying Progressive
- Rednecks Against Racism
- Left I on the News
- Red Earth Productions & Cultural Work
- Waking Planet
- Bend-Condega Friendship Project, Bend, OR
- Personhood Press
- Native Alerts
- Circle of Truth, Orland Park, IL
- Freeway Activist Coalition for Equality, Winchester, CA
- Comic Press News
- Info Nature
- Pigeon Creek Poets
- The Stephen Kramer Company, Des Plaines, IL
- Robert B.C. Weaver Landscapes
- Tacenda Literary Publications
- BJS organization, Palmyra, NJ
- Starlight Records, Santa Cruz, CA
- The Squids Ink
- Shine Somber, Indianapolis, IN
- Jarnocan, Westfield, NJ
- National Committee for Radiation Victims
- The Peace House
- Japan Environment Institute for Solution
- Coastal Convergence Society, Huntington Beach, CA
- United States Raelian Movement
- Khalil Gibran Book Club
- Campaign for Sovereign California
- Berkeley Springs Worship Group
- SBA Farms Anti-war Collective
- Mark Twain Democratic Club, Whittier, CA
- Alternative Medicine Council
- Public Intellectuals for Social and Spar, New York. NY
- God Bless The World, Inc., South Burlington
- Charles Boone
- Marilyn Markley, Treasurer, Malama O Puna*, Pahoa, Hawaii
- Kenneth Nahigian, Humanist Association of Greater Sacramento Area*
- Vince Cinches, Talisay Unity of Urban Poor*
- Joyce Niksic, Secular Humanist Society of Chicago*
- Barbara Council, South Oregon Animal Rights Society*
- Dave Lindblom, Utah Public Employees Association*
- Paul Allen, Hope House Shelter Home* Dubuque, Iowa
- Thomas Unger, American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU)*, American Association of Retired Persons (AARP)*, NRA*
- William Christensen, Industrial Workers of the World*, Friend of Thomas Paine*
- Alan Carlson, KFAI Fresh Air Community Radio*, St. Paul, Minnesota
- Robert McMahon, Assn. of Scient. & Prof. Engineer. Pers.*
- Cristogianni Borsella, Mediterranean League*
- Elliscia Ellerd, Office Manager, Ellerd Construction*
- Rodney Ferris, President, Possibilities Unlimited, Inc*
- Peter Gunther, Certified Archivist, Progressive Archivists*
- Stephen Kowal, Center for Democracy and the Constitution*, Portsmouth, New Hampshire
- Michael Murray, Seacoast Peace Response*
- Charles Reinert, Naturopathic Physician, Helping To Heal, Inc.*
- J. Glenn Evans, Poets West*
- Barbara Evans, PoetsWest*
- Melanie Chischilly, owner, Chischilly Pottery*
- Leslie Robertson, Director of Design, Leslie E. Obertson Associates*
- Constance La Sala, Blessed Is She*, New Hyde Park
- Anne Kolesar, Citizens for Social Responsibility*
- Michael Chiltern, Creative Production Coordinator, Brooklyn Community Access Television*, Brooklyn, NY
- Nancy Wang, Co-Director, Eth-Noh-Tec*, San Francisco, CA
- G.S. Khalsa, Unixity*, Burbank, CA
- Coyotes Corner, East Providence, RI
- Ed Crouch, Social Worker, Concern for the People of Iraq*, Seattle, WA
- John Smith, Founder of Board, Take Back America*, Rock Island, IL
- Lana Kitchel, Media/Outreach Coordinator, Department of Peace Campaign, 2nd CD of CA*, Los Molinos, CA
- Michael Mastela, President, The Livonia Democratic Club*, Livonia, MI
- WEARTH, Sebastopol, CA
- Ramesh N, Friends Circle*, Naik Kamaraj Salai, Tamilnadu
- Phillip Manning, Schottenstein's*, Maysville, KY
- Michele Laub, President, Human Potential Unlimited*, East Atlantic Beach, NY
- Mike Stabile, Treasurer, Hubert Humphrey Democratic Club*, Cerritos, CA
- Ramsey Malone, Executive Director, The Engaged Zen Foundation*, Ramsey, NJ
- Rev. William H. Russell, American Atheists*, Libertarian Party*, Norwich, CT
- Paul Burks, Editor Emeritus, EarthLight Magazine*, Santa Rosa, CA
- Toni Hoover, Advancement of Humanity*
- Breelyn MacDonald, Animal Rights Foundation of Florida*
- Robert Lovell, Democracy for America*
- Julieanna, Thompson, Global Solutions*, Department of Peace*, Marina del Rey, CA
- Roberto J Mercado, Social Justice Documentary Photographer, Social Justice Impact
- Ken Kilnam, Editor, Minjok-Tongshin Daily Website
- Garda Ghista, Founding Director, World Prout Assembly, Highland Heights, KY
- Cynthia King, CEO, Wisdom Way Press, Goleta, CA
- Thomas Metzler, President, Metzler Violin Shop, Inc., Glendale, CA
- William Roberts, Owner, Stewart-Roberts Productions, Huntington Beach, CA
- Thomas Schooley, President, The Tienson MFG CO, Berkeley, CA
- Barbara Stanley, SkipperGraphics, Shallotte, NC
- Jude Arnold, PhD., Advance Productions*, Parthenon, AR
- Alfredo Jose Gonzalez, A. G. Graphics Arts Studios*, Los Angeles, CA
- Bonnie Elness, Share International, USA*
- Curt Clay, Americans for a United States Dept. of Peace*
- Ricardo Corrales Sàenz, Magister en Agronegocios, Consultor Independiente*, La Aurora, Heredia, La Aurora
- Mary Zoeter, President, Action for Animals Network*
- Ingrid Grace, Student, Indiana University of Pennsylvania
- Cynthia Raglenta, Graduate Student, Santa Rosa, California
- Heidi Erhardt, Student, Kipahulu Community School
- Assaf Kfoury, Boston University
- Denise Hesse, Student , South High School, Sheboygan, Wisconsin
- Elias Ibrahim, Student, University of California Los Angeles
- Alex D. Llongridge, University of Texas
- Valerie C. Virta, Graduate Student, University of Washington
- Nat Parry, Graduate Student, George Mason University
- Lance Cablk, Instructor, Clackamas Community College
- Therese Cauchon, Teacher, La Mesa - Spring Valley School District
- Steven Burge, Academic Skills Specialist, Si Tanka University
- Jon Anderholm Cazadero, Retired Teacher, United Educators of San Francisco*
- Meredith Dalebout, Retired Teacher, Colorado Springs, Colorado
- Gerard Huber, Professor, A&M University-Commerce
- Iris Greenfield, Program Coordinator and Early Intervention, Pediatrics University of Florida
- Kelleen Farrell, Educator, Placerville, California
- Bryan Fellbusch, Student, New York University
- Kathy Quick, Graduate Student, University of California Irvine
- Albert A. Gaydos, Student, Queens College (CUNY)
- Jeremy Huffman, Student, University of South Florida
- Jeremy Motts, Student, Los Medanos College, Antioch, CA
- Elena Lopez, Graduate Student, University of Colorado-Boulder
- Marnie Hotz, Student, University of Massachusetts-Boston
- Stephanie Barnett, Student, Marywood University School of Social Work, Sellersville, PA
- Neil Zimmerman, Cooper Union*, Muttontown, NY
- Scott Nass, Student, University of Cincinnati
- Mazen Almoukdad, Student, Anaheim, CA
- Kristen Magis, Doctoral Student, Silverton, OR
- Petersen, Student, Santa Monica, CA
- Roxanne Cook, Student, Idaho Falls, ID
- Gareth Shellman, Assistant Director, Institute of World A*, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee
- Dr. Bill Rosenthal, Hunter College
- Jennifer Wagner, Professor, West Valley College
- Dayne Navarro, Educator, San Pedro, CA
- John Renfrew, Professor, Northern Michigan University
- Patricia Berry, Educator, The University of New Mexico
- Michael Keefer, Professor, University of Guelph, Toronto, ON
- Kathleen Kolman, Music Director, John Stark Regional High School, Plymouth, NH
- Robert Schlagal, Professor, Appalachian State University, Boone, NC
- Sarah Michaels, Professor of Education, Clark University
- Cara Crandall, Professor, Emerson College
- Joyce Paolini, Teacher, Sacramento, CA
- Jean Geissler, Retired Educator, Eau Claire, WI
- Linda Shahian, ESL Instructor, South Gate Adult School, San Pedro, CA
- Sarah Novey, Science Teacher, Prairie du Chien, WI
- Warren Gold, Professor of Medicine, University of California-San Francisco, Mill Valley, CA
- Manouchehr Azad, Teacher, Harper College, Skokie, Illinois
- Paula Telesco, Professor, Chelmsford, MA
- Dr. Tip H. Shanklin, Professor of English and Humanities, Lindsey Wilson College
- Michael Dalterio, Adjunct Assistant Professor, Bentle College, Sudbury, MA
- Ted Stearns, Teacher, Albuquerque, NM
- Miles Robinson, Middle School Science Teacher, Cranbrook Schools, Bloomfield, MI
- Stacy Mecklenberg, UC Berkeley, Stanford University
- Dr. Evan Fales, University of Iowa
- JB Schammel, School Sister of Notre Dame, Baltimore, MD
- Karen Markley, Fullerton College
- McCutchen, San Francisco State University
- Sean Smukler, University of California Davis
- Lisa Middlecamp-Lowder, Social Worker, Muskegon Public Schools, North Muskegon, MI
- Dr. Susan Draper, New York University
- William Prescott, University of Oklahoma, Atlanta, GA
- Malgorzata Zarycka, Student, Chicago, IL
- Michael Morris, Development Coordinator, Florida State University
- Tracy Lord, Instructor, Bosphorus University, Ashland, OR
- Dr. Regino Diaz-Robainas, Blacklisted Former College Professor, Stuart, FL
- Nick Moe, Student, Anchorage, AK
- Deborah Dimmett, Doctoral Student, University of Arizona
- Candice Discepolo, Student, McDonogh School, Ellicott City, MD
- Frank, Sicoli, Philosophy Graduate Student, New School University
- Justin, Skay, Student, Arizona State University
- Robin Powell, Graduate Student, Penn State-University Park, Belcourt, ND
- Sarah Swanson, Student, San Diego City College, University of California
- Kanene Holder, Howard University
- Steve Baker, Student, University of Redlands
- Richard Abcarian, Professor of English, Emeritus California State University
- Mary Kay Duffie, Former UCLA Research Professor, University of California Los Angeles
- Linda Einfal, Associate Professor, University of Cincinnati
- Raymond Moody, Associate Professor (retired), University of Hawaii
- Jane Bergman, Teacher, Saint Mary Catholic School
- Janet Seltzer, Preschool Teacher, Albany, CA
- Robert Hilliard, Author/Educator, Cambridge, MA
- Arthur Solomon, Professor, La Conner, WA
- Nicole Kohansky, Fairleigh Dickinson University-Cumberland Company*, Bridgeton, NJ
- Megan Wood, Fordham Law
- Aroldo Garcia, Student, CUNY City University of New York
- Shennandoah Hardesty, Student, New Port Richey, FL
- Joanna Marr Baker, Student, University of Wisconsin - Whitewater
- Taigen Leighton, Graduate Theological Union, Berkeley, CA
- Gretchen Harris, teacher, Fairfax County Public Schools*, Virginia
- Marilyn Berger, teacher, Los Angeles Unified school district*
- Barbara Haggerty, teacher, Milwaukee, OR
- Carol and Joe O'Neill, teachers, Warriors Mark, PA
- Joe Cressy, Carleton University
- Patrick Brantlinger, Professor, Indiana University
- Morgan Chivers, San Jose State University
- Daniel Liberatoscioli, President, Walnut Hill College, Glen Mills, PA
- Julio Pino, Professor, Kent State University, Ohio
- Richard Rubenstein, Professor, George Mason University
- Roma Guy, San Francisco State University
- Natalie Sokoloff, Professor of Sociology, John Jay College
- Theresina Greenwell, Christ the King*, Tompkinsville, KY
- Rev. Timothy Nakayama., Episcopal Church USA*
- Theodore Webb, Retired Clergy
- Rev. J. Calvin Bugho OFM, Franciscan Justice & Peace Office*
- Jay Colbe, Jewish Voice For Peace*, Sacramento, CA
- Joseph W. DuRocher, Trustee, First Unitarian Church of Orlando*
- Rev. Wayne Robinson, United Church of Christ*, Antelope, CA
- Leo Klohr, Lutheran Peace Fellowship (LPF)*, Raleigh, NC
- The Reverend Lauren Welch, Baltimore, Maryland
- Henry Jefferson, Claremont United Methodist Church*, Ontario, Canada
- H. Eberhard, Von Waldow, Pittsburgh Theological Seminary*, Glenshaw, PA
- Rev. Lisa McMillan
- Rev. Keith Boyles
- Rev. Dr. Donna Martin, Pastor, United Church of Christ*, Columbia, MD
- Ellen Little, Campus Minister, Wesley Fellowship at Rutgers*
- Dennis R. M., Teall-Fleming, Director of Faith Formation, Queen of the Apostles Catholic Church*, Gastonia, NC
- Vincent Smiles, Professor of Theology - St. Joseph, MN |
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| From: LindyBill | 9/16/2007 4:18:16 PM | | | | | | Why I joined the British jihad - and why I rejected it
Our correspondent’s journey into zealotry ended in prison – and that is where he finally realised he was wrong
Maajid Nawaz
From The Sunday Times
September 16, 2007
As a third generation British Muslim I was raised in an integrated and well established family; four of my mother’s siblings are doctors. I had absolutely no problem making friends and was in the highest sets in school, later going on to study law at university. How did I – at the tender age of 17 – subscribe to and then devastatingly propagate radical Islamist ideas? Why was I prepared to abandon my degree for such a cause?
Not only did I join Hizb ut-Tahrir, the controversial group that believes Islam is a political ideology that must dominate the world, I also rose to the level of a leadership committee member and national speaker. I recently resigned – but my story illustrates why “ordinary” British boys get caught up in such an extraordinary movement.
As a British-Asian teenager growing up in Essex I always had a sense of being different. In fairness, this was not due to the majority of people around me, but the actions of a minority of organised racists who made life exceptionally difficult for all around me. By the age of 15 I found myself having to flee random and unprovoked knife attacks and witness friends being stabbed before my eyes. There were arrests but no charges; apparently, they had “friends” in the police.
Institutional racism was something I knew existed before the phrase itself was coined. The first time I was arrested in an armed raid was not in Egypt but on the streets of Essex. Aged 15, I had been playing pool with friends until late. As I was being driven home we were shocked at being pursued by police helicopters shining spotlights on our car. The road had been blockaded and we found ourselves staring down the barrel of machineguns. I was arrested at gunpoint for “suspicion of armed robbery”.
Unknown to me, earlier in the day my friends had been innocently playing with a plastic pellet gun. A poor old lady had decided that brown children playing with plastic pellet guns could mean only one thing: they intended to rob a bank. I still remember the look on my mother’s face when she came into the police station. We were kept overnight and the following afternoon we were released without charge and with a sheepish apology.
I initially dealt with such incidents by associating with a counter-culture inspired by American rap music. In the 1990s this was an underground scene that we felt provided a voice and identity to those who were not being seen or heard. This was the beginning of my politicisation and by now I was already inclined to being antiestablishment.
As time passed I became more aware of identity issues and world conflicts. The Bosnian genocide struck a chord like no other. Here were white European Muslims being identified solely as Muslims and being slaughtered for it. This genocide coincided with an emerging trend in rap music, whereby American rappers began to identify explicitly as Muslims and mixed samples of Malcolm X’s speeches into their music.
It was during this period of my life that a member of Hizb ut-Tahrir from my home town, who had been recruited while studying at university in London, started explaining the Hizb’s ideas to me. My premature politicised mind was ripe to receive an ideology that advocated a black and white solution to the problems I had grown up with.
As I got more involved with Hizb ut-Tahrir activities, from attending secret cell meetings to distributing leaflets that called for jihad, I conflicted with Muslims at mosques and, most worryingly, my own parents. I recall with horror being chased out of a northern town by members of the mosque congregation and their imam for distributing Hizb leaflets outside the mosque. My parents detested seeing those same leaflets in their home. But I was undeterred. For me, Muslims, including my parents, had misunderstood their ideology.
This was an ideology like no other. Religion had been merged with politics in such a way that we worshipped God through our political activities. Where our minds could not grasp a certain idea, we were coaxed through scripture. Where scripture did not bolster a certain notion, we were convinced through rational argumentation. The result was a potent mix of political and philosophical stances seemingly justified by religious scripture with the aim of liberating the Muslim nation, or ummah, whose minds had been colonised.
The result was producing young men and women who were prepared to give up everything for the sake of a political ideology and go to a religious paradise. I had finally discovered who I was. I was a sharp, ideological Muslim whose mission was to create a new world order.
I took on board this ideology as my own, propagating it through campuses and across borders until it consumed my life. Eventually my activities caught up with me in Egypt, where I was sent by my university for a year of my Arabic and law degree. For the second time in my life I was arrested at gunpoint, but this time it was not by mistake and there was no apology. I was sentenced to five years for membership of Hizb ut-Tahrir and was adopted by Amnesty International as a prisoner of conscience.
It was during this time in prison that I began to utilise my time by studying as much as I could about the ideology that I professed to be working for. My aim was to study Islam to such a depth that once released I would be even more potent at propagandising than before.
As I studied various branches of traditional Islamic sciences, however, I grew more and more surprised. The sheer breadth of scholastic disagreement that I found, on issues I had believed were so definitive in Islam, surprised me. Where we had been willing to challenge, even overthrow, regimes on certain issues, traditional jurists of Islam had treated these as academic disagreements to be debated through books.
It slowly dawned on me that what I had been propagating was far from true Islam. I began to realise that what I had subscribed to was actually Islamism sold to me in the name of Islam. And it is with this realisation that I can now say that the more I learnt about Islam, the more tolerant I became.
Now I am involved in trying to counter the black and white mindset that I once so vehemently encouraged. Although I was young when I was recruited to Hizb ut-Tahrir, I take full responsibility for my actions. I made the decisions that I did and I am responsible for undoing them. With this in mind I hope to publish a series of papers reevaluating certain core Islamist ideas that are essential to their message.
© Copyright 2007 Times Newspapers Ltd. |
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| To: LindyBill who wrote (219927) | 9/16/2007 4:23:04 PM | | From: Geoff Altman | | | | Everybody who was aware of the problem knew exactly what they were going to look like. When the models came out and the security boys got excited it was a joke.
I know what you mean. Even though we know that they know that we know that they know, we can't let them know that we know, you know? At least that was what it was like in ASW.
Tom Clancy came out with Hunt for Red October while I was stationed at the Aswoc in Brunswick Me. Secrecy was so ingrained about things like SOSUS, even though it was probably well known in the USSR, I thought some of those guys were going to have an anxiety attacks while they were reading it.... |
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| To: LindyBill who wrote (219936) | 9/16/2007 4:28:54 PM | | From: Sr K | | | | I've missed a few thousand postings here -
But did anywhere here notice the unusual passive tense the President used in opening his speech Thursday night?
Address by the President to the Nation on the Way Forward in Iraq
Oval Office
whitehouse.gov
9:01 P.M. EDT
THE PRESIDENT: Good evening. In the life of all free nations, there come moments that decide the direction of a country and reveal the character of its people. We are now at such a moment.
--
Isn't he in charge?
Doesn't he even think he's in charge? |
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| To: Geoff Altman who wrote (219937) | 9/16/2007 4:37:07 PM | | From: LindyBill | | | | I thought some of those guys were going to have an anxiety attacks while they were reading it.
I got that book from a retired Sub driver. It was an eye-opener.
I was thinking the other day about our security breaches during the cold war and what we did to try to stop them. Basically, we were sold out by insiders for money and there was really no way to catch them before they did it. The classic Navy example was U.S. Navy Chief Warrant Officer John Walker, who sold our codes.
They could have saved a lot of time and money by realizing this was probably going to happen and changing codes every couple of years. But they get complacent. We brag about breaking the German and Jap codes during WWII but don't like to talk about the fact that the Germans broke the British Navy code early and knew where all the convoys were. This would not have happened if they had changed the codes quarterly. |
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| From: LindyBill | 9/16/2007 4:46:36 PM | | | | | | Watch this charge go away. They grabbed the stuff, but I bet no guns were shown.
O.J. Simpson Arrested in Connection With Robbery
By STEVE FRIESS
The New York Times
September 16, 2007
LAS VEGAS, Sept. 16 — O.J. Simpson, the former football star who was acquitted of murdering his wife, , was arrested today in connection with a reported armed robbery of some sports memorabilia in a Las Vegas hotel room on Thursday night, the Las Vegas police said.
The precise charges against Mr. Simpson, 60, were not immediately clear. But another member of the group accused of storming the room at the Palace Station Hotel-Casino was charged with two counts of robbery with a deadly weapon, two counts of assault with a deadly weapon, conspiracy to commit robbery and burglary with a deadly weapon, Lt. Clint Nichols said.
Lieutenant Nichols did not identify the suspects and said others are being sought for questioning.
Mr. Simpson has declared his innocence, insisting to The Associated Press that there were no guns involved in what he described as a self-organized “sting operation” aimed at retrieving some of his belongings.
Mr. Simpson was transported from the posh Palms Resort Casino to the Clark County Detention Center, where he will spend the night. He will be arraigned on Monday in Clark County District Court.
Two sports memorabilia dealers, Alfred Beardsley of Glendale, Calif., and Bruce L. Fromong of North Las Vegas, Nev., told the police on Thursday that a group of men, which he said included two men with guns, entered his room at the off-Strip Palace Station around 8 p.m. that day and left with a trove of memorabilia ranging from photos and books signed by Mr. Simpson as well as lithographs of San Francisco 49ers quarterback Joe Montana and even Mr. Beardsley’s cellphone.
Police took possession of two guns that may have been used in the incident, during an early morning raid on two residences in Las Vegas, Captain James Dillon said.
Mr. Fromong and Mr. Beardsley told the police that the group was directed by Mr. Simpson.
Mr. Simpson gave a different account. He told the A.P. that he and his acquaintances from a cocktail party went to Mr. Beardsley’s room pretending to be interested in buying the suit Mr. Simpson wore in court in 1995 when he was acquitted of the murders of his ex-wife, Nicole Brown Simpson, and her friend, Ronald Goldman. The group left with Mr. Simpson’s Hall of Fame certificate and a photo with J. Edgar Hoover, former F.B.I. director, among other items, Mr. Simpson said.
“Everybody knows this is stolen stuff,” Mr. Simpson was quoted as saying. “Not only wasn’t there a break-in, but Riccio came to the lobby and escorted us up to the room,” making a reference to Tom Riccio, an auction house owner. “In any event, it’s stolen stuff that’s mine. Nobody was roughed up.”
Mr. Simpson was acquitted for the 1994 double murder but was found liable for the deaths in a civil case in 1997 and ordered to pay the Goldman family $38 million and Ms. Simpson’s family $24 million. To date, he’s paid about $10,000 of the judgment, said a lawyer for the Goldman Family, David J. Cook.
Mr. Cook said that his clients find “a tremendous of satisfaction in the idea that finally Mr. Simpson will face justice somewhere.”
“Hopefully this will lead to a criminal trial, and then let the chips fall where they may,” Mr. Cook said. |
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| To: John Carragher who wrote (219891) | 9/16/2007 4:50:24 PM | | From: skinowski | | | | move.org has so much money
We were always told that our politicians are owned by Big Money corporations, and to the extent that was true it was bad enough -- lo and behold, we are now discovering that they are also owned by Big Money left winger crazies...... What is the world coming to?... :) |
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| To: LindyBill who wrote (219940) | 9/16/2007 4:50:51 PM | | From: Sr K | | | | | Reagan was literally and defensibly accurate, meaning mistakes were made by others. Not quite Trumanesque, but that was OK. |
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